God-talk
I have a new essay out on theologian Miroslav Volf and poet Christian Wiman’s literary collaboration and friendship. I’ve been trying lately, with imperfect success, not to write about stuff I dislike but, as you can see, I really dislike both Wiman’s poetry and the sort of religion he and Volf advocate—and get pretty ad hominem about it!
Writing about religion seems like, given for example my lack of niceness, the last thing I could be qualified to do. Nevertheless I have been doing it, with recent essays on Marilynne Robinson, Paul Elie, poet-priest Tim Dlugos, and an interview with fellow Episcopalian Julius Krein. Behind these writings, I suppose, is some kind of implied defense of progressive mainline Protestantism (against, for example, its own more inept or sinister defenders—and Rome), although even to me that does sound dull. And before that, when Tablet wasn’t, to my understanding, entirely insane and evil, I used to work out my covert thinking about Christianity there through a set of Jewish thinkers concerned with transforming religion, such as Benjamin Fondane, Avram Zissu, Jacob Taubes, Laura Riding, and Emile Durkheim.
Given your connection to U Chicago, are you aware of its history with what was formerly known as Rochester Theological Seminary then one of the premier theological schools in the U.S.?
How much have you been influenced by Camille Paglia in her Sexual Personae persona? Much of your review of Volf and Wiman’s friendly chitchat, particularly the ad hominem comments, seem inflected with her sharp skepticism/plain speaking, although in your case this is relatively mild. The idea that anyone would publish their emails … well, anyone who does that is asking for it. Christians are in a tough bind. Evangelicals have completely discredited themselves in the US with their support of Trump, proving that their morality is infinitely accommodating if the politics are right. Or very right. Liberals sound like these two gentleman scholars, subject to vaporous thinking, warm emotions, soft arguments. I say this having traced the entire trajectory myself, from fundamentalist evangelical through left-wing evangelicalism (yes, that existed) through solid mainstream Congregational/Presbyterian/Episcopalianism to something suspiciously existentialist via Gabriel Vahanian and the so-called Death of God theologians. As an undergraduate I was an eager fan of Jürgen Moltmann and Wolfhart Pannenberg. I’m not a fan of Wiman’s poetry or essays, perhaps because I see so little discernible difference between him and my own intuitions. Volf’s political bromides are ludicrous. In any case an entertaining review, something different from what I’m used to from you. And as I’m sure you know, Solomon didn’t write Ecclesiastes aka Qohelet. My favorite book of the Bible btw.